Acoustical instrument.



L. LUMIERE.

AOOUSTIGAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30. 1909.

Patented Mar. 14, 191 1.

5 SHEETBSHEET 1.

mvsivrcim.

3 WITNESSES ATTORNEY" L. LUMIERE.

AGOUSTIOAL INSTRUMENT. APPLIOAT IOH FILED JUNE so. 1909.

986,477. I Patented-Mar. 14, 1911.

I 5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v I N VE N TO R v 50am lain/Lena.

L. LUMIERB. ACOUSTICAL INSTRUMENT. lI'PLIOATIOH FILED nmn a0. 1909.

Patented Mar;'14, 1911.

sagas/r77;

. INVENTQR Laaw'Zzwz/e/ze l I ll ll llmw wrmmwsv WITNESSES ,1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LoUIs LUMIERE, can on, FnAncn.

noous'rrcan ms'rnomnn'n Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

Application filed June 30, 1909. Serial No. 505,149.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS Lu umnn, a citizen of the'Republic of France, residing at Lyon, in the Republic of France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in. Acoustical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and complete disclosure.-

This invention relates to improvements in acoustical instruments, such as telephones,

microphones, sound recording. and repro- 'ducing machines, and musicalinstruments As applied to sound, recording and reproducing apparatus, itrelates more in general.

particularly to that part of the instrument which is generally known asthe diaphragm,

' or;the body. which .in the process of sound the originalrecord, while in the process of recording is thrown into vibration by the sound waves, and 'whose wrbratmns are traced and recorded by means of a stylus in reproduction the diaphragm, (as a general rule, the diaphragm of a separate machine), is thrown into corresponding vibrations by a stylus to which it is attached being. made tofollow the undulations in the record.

The invention also relates "to the sound box .in which said diaphragm is mounted.

The object of my invention is to provide a diaphragm and a mounting therefor,- by

means of which sounds may be faithfully recorded and reproduced, which will be sensitive to sound waves and by the use of which the reproduction of sound will be improved and amplified. y

Further objects ofmy invention are to inincreasethe reproducing surface ofa diaphragm, and, at the same time, to place the entire surface under a tension, (preferably torsional), to make it sensitive; to increase the active surface of a diaphragm of acertain given diameter; to increase the diam eter of the diaphragm without making it liable to vibrate in parts, or to set up.nodes or' inactive portions in the diaphragm, or,

in other 'words,to substantially increase the size of' the diaphragm and, at the same time, have it vlbrate throughout; to constructa diaphragm having a plurality of sound responsive elements, each oi which is subjected to a molecular tension, aud to sub-. ject each of a plurality of sound responsive elements to a molecular tension to. increase the sensitiveness thereof. andto cause them to vibrate as a whole.

Further objects of my invention will be found in the specification and claims below.

The invention consists in a: diaphragm for acoustical instruments, having one or more freely r esilient,'s0und responsive surfaces or elements, which have been brought into a condition of molecular stress, of an aggregatesuperficial area substantially larger than the surface of a plane disk orthe same diameter, and in a recorder or reprod'ucer in which said diaphragm. is mounted.

. It is found that the effect of bringing the surfaces of-a vibrating body into a condition of molecular-stress by torsion, is to reduce to a minimum the te'ndency'ofthe vibrating .body to form nodes during operation, so that the surface or surfaces of the diaphragm. will fvibrzite as a whole and will not produce the disagreeable effect which is technically known as blasting or shattering.

Oneconstructionof diaphragm made according to this inventionand the method of making it is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whicht- Figure 1 shows a folded strip of. material from which the improved diaphragm may be made; Fig. -2 is a plan view of a modified form of folded strip of material from which a diaphragm may be made; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the diaphragm; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the diaphragm; Fig. 5 is a sectional elevational view of a slightly modified form of diaphragm; Fig. 6 is a diagram to illustrate the way in which the'surfaces or elements of the diaphragm are twisted; Fig.

7 is an elevation of a sound reproducing machine fitted with 'thediaphragn made in accordhnce with this inventionand illustrates a convenient method of carrying the diaphragm and connecting it to the stylus bar; and Fig. 7 is a sectional detail of Fig. 7. Fig. 8 is" a plan .view of the machine shown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a side elevational view partly in section of a modified formot sound reproducingmachine provided withv my invention; Fig. 10 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of the diaphragm and .stylus bar mounting shown in Fig. 9; and F12. 11 is a bottom plan view of the repro. educer shown in Fig. v

According to onemethod of carrying out this invent on, a diaphragm is constructed sothat it presents the form shown rn Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the accompa-ny ngdrawmgs, in

50 the diaphragm. willconsist of-a surface comwhich the whole surface of the diaphragm on either side consists of a lurality of elements reversely flexed to orm a fan-like series of radially disposed ridges and furrows, the ridges on one side of the diaphragm corresponding to' the furrows on the other side .ofthe diaphragm, and the furrows gradually widening out and becoming less deep as they approach the edge of the diaphragm until at its perimeter the diaphragm lies in one plane. The elements forming the sides-of the ridges and furrows provide the desired freelyresilient sound responsive surfaces. A diaphragm of. this form may be obtained by folding or plaiting a substantially rectangular strip ofpaper 1, or othersuitable material in the manner shown in Fig. -1.. The length of thestrip of material before folding should be substantially the length of the circumference of.

the diaphragm to be formed therefrom, and the width of the strip should be substantially equal to-the radius of the said diaphragm. When-the strip has beenplaited or folded in the manner'above described and shown,

- the ends 2 and 3 should be brought together method, the strip will present, roughly speaking, the appearance of a cylinder has; ing flutedsides. This .strip of material then pressed down and forced to assume the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, one edge of the strip being crimped together 'at the center, and the other edge forming the perimeter; the radial ridges and furrows, or plaits being closest together and of'gre'atest depth atthe center, and gradually opening out and flattening toward the edge where the diai phragm may beheld in one plane between clamping, rings, as shown in Figs. 7 to 11. In Fig. 3 the diaphragmis'designated as 4 and .the elements forming the. plaits or ridges and furrows are designated by the numeral 5. The diaphragm 4 thus formed in the manner above described willbe seen 'toxhave a' su'rface formed wholly of a-mul "tiplicit'y of flexed sound responsive elements,

reversel'y sloped or angled to eachother,

forming dihedral ridges- The surface of prising salient radial angled "surfaces, and

' mation. v

radial re'eintrant angled surfacesl Any 'sector of thesur'face will have afan-like for- "To the centerof the diaphragm, is 'at-.

tached, in any'suitable manner, the recording or reproducing stylus 6, as the case may be. As shown 1n Fig.4., the diaphragm is for use with or for a record having an. up

and down, or vertical cut, since the dia phragm s directly providedwith a stylus at its center. g

, For making the attachment between the stylus and diaphragm, or betweenthe con-" nection between the stylus and the diaphragm, I prefer to bevel off the inner edge of the diaphragm as p'articularlyhhown in Figs. 2, 9 and10. The stylus 6 may be secured directly to the inner edges of the elements of the diaphragm by being cemented or glued thereto in the manner shown in Fig. 4, or it may be secured in place by means of nuts 7, as will be more particularly described below, in connection with the form of apparatus shown in Figs. 9 and 10 and also as shown in Fig. 5. The stylus 6 may also be surrounded by rings of stiff paper 8, secured on either side of the diaphragm at the centerthereofto give it additional rigidity'at that point. I do not, however, limit myself to this form of con-' nection. The effect of. constructing the diathe plane in which they lie atthecenter of the diaphragm into a plane, practically at right angles thereto at the'circumference of the diaphragm. I have further found that in a diaphragm produced by this means, the tendency of the vibrating body to form nodes during operation is reduced to a mini- Y mum. The surface of each of the elements composing this diaphragm being helicoidal, and since each point in the vibrating body,

, as it.moves, follows a direction normal to the tangential plane at this point, the result is that the direction of movement is different for each point that has to be considered so that the formation of nodes is practically impossible. It is obvious, of course, that the same. condition of molecular stress would be produced-upon twisting a. sheet ,of material which naturally possessed a helicoidal. or other than plane form :so as to take 11 a positionin a trueplane, or other helicoidal form of different pitch. i

The diagram shown in Fig. 6, illustrates clearly the torsion which is applied .to' each of the multiplesurfaces .or elements of the\ diaphragm when the strip of material is made to take up the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 from the form shown in Fig. 1. In this diagram 5' re 'resents a. thin flat sheet of elastic materia such as isformed by each of the several folds or plaitings of the strip shown in Figs. 1 and 2. If the two ends of this sheet are turned in opposite directions,

as indicated by the arrows, and .are made to stress which isimparted to it by this twisting actin. It will be clear that each of the surfaces or folds 5, of the. diaphragm illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is in the same condigon of molecular stress, as the sheet 5' in ig. 6. The width of the folds 5, relative to the breadth of the stri in which they are made, may vary; but I ave .found a convenient proportion tolgadopt when making the diaphragm of paper is about 10 to 1, so that eaclh fold of the strip is 10 times as long as W1 e.

I have found that in a diaphragm having multiple resilient surfaces such as that above described, a greatly improved reproduction can be obtained. Moreover, a diaphragm constructed in the mannerabove described can be usefully made of considerably greater diameter than has heretofore been possible. Experience has seemed to prove that a plane diaphragm of. mica, or other.

material, such as is used at the present day, if mad'eof more than about three-and-ahalf inches in diameter, loses in quality of reproduction, the reproduction becoming less musical and there'being a liability to what there is technically known as shattering due probably to the diaphragm not vibrating as a 'whole, 2'. to the setting up of nodes in the diaphragm. I have found, however, that I am able to make a diaphragm according to the present invention, as large as ten inches or more in diameter,

without impairing the quality of the repro-' .duction, and by means of this diaphragm, I

at the same time, attain a much greater volume of sound than with the smaller diaphragm. 'Thisamplification of the sound, I believe to be due, not only to the increased diameter of the diaphragm, but also to the increased surface area of the diaphragm produced in the constr ction above described, by the plaitings or crimpings orfolds in the material of the diaphragm; this appears to have-the effect of putting into motion a greater volume-of air and so in-' creasing the volume of sound.

- A diaphragm, having freely resilient sound.

responsive surfaces brought into a condition of molecular stress, preferably by torsion, and also of an aggregate area substantially larger than a plane disk of the same diameter may of course be produced in other ways than that above described. I have found, how: ever, that the above described method is a convenient one for makin the diaphragm.

The advantage arising tom' the use of a:

diaphragm constructed as above .described, is that the volume of sound produced is sufficient to enable me to dispense with the usual amplifying horn, and inrthis way, much of the metallic and hollow character usually associated with talking machine reproductions is eliminated.

Diaphragms may be made according to this invention, of. any suitable elastic ma- .nished if-desir the like, and the surface, or surfaces, of the manner shown in 5.

Ate-rial, Siwh s aper, (which m b v )',v.0flrd, celluloid, metal, or

diaphragm or elements composing the vibrating bo may be put under tension by any suitable means.

One means ofmounting the stylus bar and diaphragm in an operative, position particularly for use with a record having a record of sound in the form of a groove having lateral undulations in the walls thereof is shown in Figs. 7 and 8. In this case, the diaphragm 4 is-held at the edges by clamping rings9 and 10, and, to the front ring 9,.

may be secured asmall trumpet 1 1 for directing the sound waves. The clamping ring. 10 is fixed to a suitable backing ring 12, having, radial arms. 13 by which the same is carried by' a tube 14 which is capable of turning freely in the bearings 1515, of the swinging arm 16, pivoted'at 17 .upon

a rigid bracket 18, fixed to the cabinet 19.

The cabinet 19 is provided with a suitable mechanism for rotating the turn-table 20 upon which a record 21' is car'riedin the usual manner.

The tube 14 is provided-at one end with I a mounting 22 freely rotatable upon said tube 14, but prevented in any suitable manner, from longitudinal movement upon the tube 14. This mounting 22 carries a stylus bar 23 which may be mounted thereon in any I suitable manner, as .by being pivoted on the knife edges 24, and retained on said knife edge bearings by-a spring 25, in, the usual manner. The upper end of the stylus bar 23 -is'connected by a rod 26 with the diaphragm 5, the rod 26 being connected orattached'to the diaphragm by nuts 7. in the In this. construction as shown, in Figs. 7 "and8, the diaphragm is preferably made from a sheet of material such as is shown in Fig. 20f the drawings so as to provide asuitable recess 10 on each side of the diaphragm, in which the nuts 7 are seated. These nuts may be further cemented or otherwise secured to the diaphragm. In the said figures the diaphragm is also shown asbeing provided with a stiffening ring 8 at the center of the diaphragm and surrounding the stylus bar connection 26. Suitable nuts or collars 27 may be employed' for holding the tube 14 from lengthwise movement in the bearings'lfi.

As the stylus 28; follows the record groove,

the arm 16 will swing across the record on the pivot '17, and the mounting 22, carrying the-stylus bar 23, will oscillate around I i the tube 14 with any unevenness in the rotation of the record. A suitable weight 29 may be attached to the mounting 22, to

cause the stylus to engage the record with the requisite amount of pressure; In Figs. 9, 10 and 11, I have illustrated afurther modification. of the 'way in which my diaphra m may be used in connection with a soun reproducing machine. In said suitable motor within the casing 19, and the cabinet is provided with a bracket 18 similar to the arrangement above described in connection with'Figs. 7 and-8. An arm 30 is mounted u on a steam or pintle 31 to swing on sai bracket in a plane substan-';

tially parallel with the plane of the record 21. The bracket .18 may be provided with a vertically adjustable step 32 for theend of the stem 31, which, in the form illustrated in Fig. '9, consists of a screw. threaded into the bracket 18, and against-which the end of'the stem or pintle 31 rests. By this means, the arm 30 may be raised or lowered to adjust the parts carried thereby with respect to the record 21 on the turn-table 20, to set the stylus at the proper angle to the record surface. The jree end of the arm30 carries a yoke 33 pivoted to the said arm by a bolt or pin -34,.;s o as to be capable of swinging in a plane substantially perpendicular to. the plane of the record. The said arm 30 is provided with a stop 35, which prevents the yoke from swingin downward-1y beyonda predetermined point. The outer ends of the yoke 33 are secured to lugs 36 bolted to the. rings 37, 38, by bolts 39, passing through said rings and said lug. Screws 40, passing through the ends of the yoke -33-and into the lugs 36, form the pivots to permit the rings and the parts carried thereby, to oscillate thereon. The diaphragm 41 is of the kind which I have described above; that is to say, the diaphragm is formed by reversely folding a sheet of material to form plaits, each plait forming an element of the diaphragm, and each of these plaits or elements is subjected to a torsional tension or strain by the bringing of the folded or plaited sheet ofmaterial into a substantially circular form. In these Figs. 9 to 11, the diaphragm is shown ractically as being formed from a sheet 0 .ma-

terial such as is shown in Fig. 2; that to say, a strip in which each plait is cut away at its inner corners so as to form a recess on each side of the center of the diaphragm to permit of a convenient attachment of the stylus bar to the diaphragm. As is plainly shown in Fig. 10,-the diaphragm. 41 is clamped between the rings 37 and 38, and securely held in that position by. means of the screws 42 passing through the said rings and drawing them together. I prefer,

. however, to interpose. between the rings 37 and 38, and the diaphragm. thin rings 43-43 of a suitable non-metallic and preferably slightly elastic material, one on each side of the diaphragm. These rings 43. may be of fabric, or rubber, or fiber, or any other suitable material to prevent an actual contact between the diaphragm and the metallic rings 37 and 38, and to securely hold the periphery of the diaphragm in a single plane. A suitable small trumpet .11 may be also secured between the rings for the purpose of directing the sound waves. I have shown it plainly. in Figs. 9 and 10 as composed of ash htly flaring substantially conical member avmg a flange 11 clamped between the rings 37 and 38, the screws 42 passing therethrough. The periphery of the diaphragm 41 is clamped between the inter mediate rings 43, and held thereby in a single plane as plainl shown in Fig. 10. a The bottom of t e reproducer is provided with, a suitable support for thestylus bar, said support comprising abar 44 secured to the ring a block 46 rigidly secured thereto and upon. the lower side of said block, I mount the stylus bar. stylus bar may be employed, but in the said modification illustrated in -Figs. 9 to 11, I have shown the block 46 as provided with a pair of alinedknife edges 47 engaging suitable recesses and lateral extensions 48 of the stylus bar 49. Each lateral extension is 38 by screws 45, or in any-other suitable manner. The said bar 44 may carry Any suitable mounting for the provided witha spring 50, one end of which is attached to said extension .48, and the other end of which extendsoutwardly and is provided with a holethrough which a screw 51 passes,the headof the screw en-' gaging the end of said spring 50 and .the screw being threaded in a suitable tapped plate 52 carried by the said block 46. In this way the stylus bar is yieldingly held upon the knife edges '47, but is free to oscilv late uponthem as bearings. The lowerend of the stylus bar is provided with a suitable set screw 53 for securing the stylus 54 in the socket therein. The stylus bar 49 may have a portion 49' extending at-an angle to the stylus carrying portion and it may then extend upwardly as at 55 to this point of attachment to the center'of the diaphragm. I have shown the said upwardly extending ortion 55 as being curved in order to'make 1t slightly yielding, and the point between i the portions 49 and 55 as being materially, weakened to enable the stylus bar to readily bend or spring or give slightly at this point to transform'the' vibratory movementof the stylus into a reciprocatory movement of the portion 55 which is directly'attached to and consequently communicates its motion to the center of the diaphragm.

In adjusting the reprodncer to the recorded surface the arm 30 should be set at such a height that the stylus will be given a slight rake to the recorded surface, as plainly shown in Fig. 9.- This will permit the record to slide freely beneath the stylus without unduly scratching the same and cause the stylus to engage the record with a suflicient pressure to insure the tracking may be provided with a suitable counter-.

balance-weight 59. I

From the preceding description it will be plain that the wholeconstruction is such that the trumpet, diaphragm, rings and stylus attached thereto may be swung up: wardly about-the bolts or pin 34 as a pivot for the purpose of replacing the stylus or for throwing the whole device into an inoperative position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 9.

- In operation it will be apparent that when the record is given a rotary movement from the turn-table 20 and the stylus 54 engages the record 21, the Whole reproducer will swing about the stem or pintle 31 as a pivot allowing the needle or stylus 5th to track across the record and the stylus will be caused to assume the correct angle to the recorded surface by the adjustment of the step 32 against which the stem or pintle 31- abuts, and further, that the styluswill be prevented from bearing tooheavily upon the record by the counterqveight 59 attached to the upper end of the trumpet 11.

In all the forms which I have above described, it Will be seen that the diaphragm is constructed upon the same principle, and that it is mounted in substantially the same manner, and that any suitable manner of securing the stylus to the center of the diaphragm may be employed, and hile I have shown a small trumpet l1 inconnection with theconstructions which I have illustrated, it

is to be understood that the trumpet may be entirely dispensed. with if desired, the function being to give directionv to the sound waves --rather than to increase the volume of the sound reproduced by the diaphragnrf I Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent. of the United States, is

1. The method of. making a diaphragm which consists in plaitinga strip of suitable materiahjoining the ends of the plaited material and bringing the same to a clrcular shape'to form a diaphragm in which each of the plaits forms an element subjected to torsional tension.

2. The method of making a diaphragm which consists in plaiting a strip of flexible material, joining the ends of the plaited 1 material and subjecting each of the plaits to a torsional tension.

3. The method of making a diaphragm which. consists in reversely folding a strip of flexible-material into a series of plaits, removing a corner of each of said strips, bringing the ends of said plaited material together and forming the same into a substantially circular shape having radial salient and rentrant angles.

4. The method of making a diaphragm which consists in reversely folding a strip of flexible material, twisting the folded sheet into substantially circular shape and rigidly holding the edges. of the diaphragm so formed in a, single plane.

5. The method of forming a diaphragm, which consists in plaiting a substantially rectangular strip of material, removing a. corner of each 'plait on one side of the strip, uniting the ends of the strip and forming the said material into a substantially circular diaphragm, each of the plaits forming an element of the diaphragm with its edge at, the center of the diaphragm sub-- stantially parallel to the axis of the diaphragm and the edge of each plait at the periphery of the diaphragm'being brought to substantially a single plane.

6. The method of forming a diaphragm, which consists in plaiting a substantially rectangular strip of material, uniting the ends of the strip and forming the said material into a substantially circular diaphragm, each of the plaits forming an element of the diaphragm with its edge'at the center of the diaphragm substantially parallel to the axis of the diaphragm, the edge of each plait at the periphery of the diaphragm being brought to substantially a single plane, and securing an annular ments adjacent the center of the diaphragm. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of June, A. D. 1909. I

LOUIS LUMIERE.

lVitnesses:

L. N. Brown, A. J. COOLEY.

strip of stifiening to the edges of the ele- It is hereby oertified that in Letters Patent No. 986,477, granted March 14, 1911,

upon the application of Louis Lumiere, of Lyon, France; for an improvement in Acoustical Instrumentsj errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as followe: Page 4:, line 9, the word steam should read stein, and same page, line 100, the word suitable should read sititably; and that the said Letters Patent should bedread with these corrections therein that the same may conform ,to the record of the case in the Patent-Office.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of April, A. 1)., 1911. p I

we 0. Ca BILLlNG'S,

Act'zlng'flommisimer of Patents.- 

